Hakuoki Shin Mezame- A New Awakening
by SoujiXMe
Summary: Rather than Chizuru, a girl named Yoshida Hitomi comes to Kyoto. She isn't an ordinary girl. Forced to run away from home, she finds the Shinsengumi. Can she be trusted? She has incredible bravery and skills, not to mention her incredibly strong emotional armor, which only Okita's eyes can fully penetrate. With her around, only one thing's for sure- lives will be changed forever.
1. Chapter 1- Fate Forever Frozen

"Tch. Why do I _always_ end up in the wrong place at the wrong time?!" Yoshida Hitomi found herself staring straight into four pairs of glowing red eyes.

"I've dealt with enough of these things!" She unsheathed her kodachi, and, rather than attacking, she carefully made a long, thin slit down her arm, releasing the crimson liquid that was her very own blood. The eyes of the rasetsu revealed their insanity at the sight. As they charged, ready to devour the girl of only 16 years, she held out her hand, pushing them back with a sudden blast of air. The furies stared, awestruck, as the gust of air that forced them back seemed to have no effect on the snow softly floating to the frozen ground.

"I realize that you're in pain," Hitomi said, letting her blood drip into four small, separate pools on the ice. They tried to get to her, but they were once again struck by the same invisible force. "I'll give you blood, however keep in mind that trying to kill me ends in _your_ death, not mine." With a soft wave of her hand, the mysterious girl cleared the force field, allowing them to come forth.

Loud, running footsteps were followed by a long-awaited voice. "You idiot! What the _hell_ are you doing?!"

Slowly, Hitomi turned, her long, light brown hair blowing in the wind.

"Souji, I'm pretty sure that's a woman that you just called an idiot."  
"I'm aware, Hajime-kun," replied the first man sarcastically.  
The girl spoke. "Okita-Dono, Saitou-Dono, please don't worry. I have them under control."  
They looked confused as to how this girl knew their names when their faces were still in the shadows, not to be seen.

Okita buried his face in his hand. "They don't _have_ control..."

He and Saitou approached slowly in an attempt not to surprise the creatures.

Three of the rasetsu heeded her warning, but one was looking for more blood than offered. He drew his sword, but before he could swing, both unit captains had theirs drawn as well, and Hitomi's katana was in his heart.

"I'm truly sorry," whispered Hitomi as the man fell to the ground.

The two men stood in awe as each of the remaining rasetsu drank from their respective servings and seemingly regained their grasp on common sense. The cut on the girl's arm sealed.  
"Um, Hajime-kun," whispered Okita, "What do we do with her? And what do we do with THEM?" He signaled towards the rasetsu, who were back to their usual appearance, yet they seemed dazed and confused.  
"As far as I know, the vice commander is not far from here. I believe this decision is out of our authority."  
Okita snorted, amused by how serious his friend sounded.  
Saitou gave him a look, then signaled to a man in the shadows who was dressed as a ninja and had been hiding on a nearby roof the entire time.

He approached, and, Okita, without adjusting his gaze to look at him, suddenly whispered, "Yamazaki, go get the demon."

The man addressed as Yamazaki nodded and, once again, disappeared into the shadows.

The two men approached. Saitou knelt to examine the rasetsu. Okita, emerald eyes squared on the stranger, suddenly spoke an overly-cheerful sadistic voice of his that could send shivers up anyone's spine.

"Make one move, and you'll experience pain beyond your nightmares." His eyes were ice cold, and so was the smile growing on his face.

"I don't plan on going anywhere. I have nowhere to go. I've been wanting to meet you, Okita Souji, as I am so like you. I understand a lot about you, and I want to help. All I ask is that you give me a chance. I realize you can't trust me, but I assure you that I'm on your side."

Okita's eyes flashed a look of surprise, confusion, and slight fear for only a split second. His true emotions were covered by his apathetic mask almost immediately, but not soon enough. Hitomi had already seen it. She gave him a sad and seemingly apologetic smile as she found herself staring into his eyes, her own, nearly identical to his, brimming with tears. She blinked, and a single small, salty drop slowly streamed down her cheek. She stood firm, yet her eyes admitted her sudden intense fear and sadness.

He snickered. "Well, you're right about one thing; I can't trust you. I mean, what the hell did you just pull off?"

"Oni blood brings sense back to those who drink Ochimizu."

Okita lowered his voice, his hand gripping the girl's kimono and his glare gripping her soul. "Who told you about the rasetsu?"

Despite her earlier bravery, Okita's hateful glare sent an icy blade down her spine and stabbed her heart. Her legs were now shaking uncontrollably. She gripped the sign next to the shop behind her and leaned on it to maintain her balance. She spoke in a voice as shaky as the bare cherry blossom branches shaking off the snow in the wind.

"My clan."

"Clan?"

"My fellow oni."

"You're _seriously_ an idiot, you know that?"

Hitomi looked away and nodded.

He shook his head and looked up at the sky, as if asking the heavens what he should do with the 'thing' in front of him. "You seriously believe you're an _oni_? An _ONI_? Really?"

Hitomi raised her right arm that SHOULD have still been bleeding. Okita's glare now pinned her to the wall behind her. He turned away slowly and joined Saitou in examining the rasetsu, who were now chewing on each other for no apparent reason.

The Demon Vice Commander appeared, his long, black hair swaying in the winter wind. "We're taking her back to headquarters. She obviously knows things we don't. Souji, will you do the honors?"

"Gladly." Just as Okita approached, ready to knock her out...

The girl fainted.

Hitomi apparently had reached her limit. She wasn't terribly afraid of the rasetsu, as she was confident in her skills. It was Okita's glare that pierced her emotional armor. His eyes inspired the only thing she truly feared- fear itself.

"Well, that sucks. She pissed me off." A mischievous grin appeared on Okita's face. "Can I hit her anyway?"

"Souji, you keep quiet."

"Jeez, Hijikata-San. You're just like Hajime-Kun. Neither of you can take a simple joke." He spoke mockingly, yet if not for the clouds in the sky, the moonlight would have revealed the red in his face.

"Shut up and let's go."


	2. Chapter 2- A New Beginning

Hitomi awoke the next morning tied up and blindfolded. She squirmed, then stopped when she remembered the previous night's incident.

"Ah, I see that you're awake." A smiling man was sitting across the room. He approached to untie the ropes binding her, but he struggled with the knots. He paused, contemplating whether to try to cut them off or not, but decided against it. The ropes themselves were already digging into the girl's skin, leaving no room to place a blade.

The man sighed, frustrated. "Souji, get in here!" He removed what he _could_, the blindfold.

Hitomi looked around the room. Neither her katana nor kodachi were anywhere to be found.

Okita stumbled in, stretching. "Geez, what? I just woke up!" He yawned dramatically to prove his point.

"Why is it that your knots are impossible to untie?"

Hitomi began to squirm again, her eyes scrunched tightly.

"I figured that Hijikata-San would have come to his senses and killed her by now."

"We need to talk to her in the main hall. It'll be hard for her to walk there like this, won't it?"

"Who says she's gotta walk there? Why don't we roll her?"

The face of the man who _had_ been smiling was now in his hand. "Just untie her, please."

Okita laughed. "Funny thing, Gen-San, I can't untie those things, either."

The man addressed as Gen-San sighed.

Okita, still laughing, knelt down so that he was looking into the squirming girl's face. "Guess you're a caterpillar starting today!"

At that moment, the ropes snapped, and Hitomi replied, nearing the same level of sarcasm as Okita. "I prefer limbs, thanks."

Okita raised an eyebrow, and Gen-San looked completely confused. "D-Did she just..."

Okita finished, "...break out of those?"

"I already told you that I'm an oni." The cuts from the ropes that had covered her body suddenly healed.

Okita finally spoke, his humor gone. "Don't touch anything or anyone, and _don't_ try to run. It will only make your situation worse."

Hitomi nodded. "I have no reason to cause trouble for you."

Okita tied the girl's wrists together, well aware that she could break out of them. Clenching her tied wrists, he brought them up to her nape. Without letting go of her wrists, he grasped the collar of her kimono and lifted her so that her feet were a few inches off the ground. His grip was strong and painful, her kimono choking her. If Hitomi even had the choice, she wouldn't dare breathe.

The two men went with her into the main hall, where everyone was already waiting.

When the commander saw the way that Okita was handling the girl, his face changed from stern to concerned.

"What's going on?"

Gen-San spoke. "She broke out of her ropes."

"She what?"

Okita sighed. "She broke out of her ropes."

He released his grasp on the girl, letting her fall to the ground. She tried her best to conceal the fact that she was desperately gasping for air. After a moment, she sat firmly in seiza, directly across from a man who was obviously the captain.

Neither the commander nor his comrades could believe that a girl had broken out of Souji's ropes, yet they looked into the eyes of the two men and knew they were speaking the truth.

Hitomi recognized the man on the right of the captain as the same man from the previous night. He was referred to as the Demon, at least by Okita. He glared at the girl, though his glare didn't have the same effect on her as Okita's did.

A kind-looking man with shoulder length black hair and glasses sat on the commander's left. He smiled warmly at the girl, though she sensed more than just kindness from his eyes. They revealed longing. Sadness. Loneliness. More obvious than those feelings, however, was his curiosity towards the girl.

The unit captains sat in order of unit number behind them, though Okita was still behind her, firmly keeping her hands together and behind her back. Hitomi didn't struggle. Yamazaki, also present the night before, stood right outside the shoji doors, preventing both the girl from escaping and soldiers entering. He no longer was dressed in all black but in green. Gen-San, who had been in her room only a few minutes earlier, sat next to "The Demon."

The commander cleared his throat. "I am the commander of the Shinsengumi, Kondou Isami." He gestured to the man on his left, who was still smiling warmly. "This is Colonel Yamanami Keisuke, though we mostly use the alternate pronunciation of his surname, San'nan." San'nan gave a nod in greeting. Kondou turned to his right. "This is Hijikata Toshi-" He was interrupted by Hijikata.

"Are you seriously introducing us to the girl you're about to interrogate?"

Kondou cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry."

He looked up, he and Hitomi making accidental eye contact. Something about her gaze seemingly surprised him.

Hitomi shyly looked to the floor. Two tiny ants were walking across the floor in front of her, pushing a single grain of rice that was twice the size that they were. She watched them for a moment, intrigued by them for a reason beyond her knowledge. Perhaps it was because she realized that they, too, had a life. They had a soul. And they, too, fought for what it took to survive and care for their people. Though their load was only a tiny grain of rice, she knew that for them, pushing it across the floor took incredible strength and effort. Still, they managed to...

Okita's foot suddenly moved to squash them. Two living creatures- gone. Gone in less than a second. Killing them took no thought at all... it was all instinct. These ants hadn't even done anything wrong! She began to think of the ones that _she_ had killed. The soulless rasetsu from the night before was not her first. He was merely the newest addition to a list containing four members of her own clan. _No, no, _she thought, _I had a reason_. True, they had all attempted to kill _her_ first. .. Still, by attempting to kill her, they were merely standing up for what they believed was right... Did that mean she should have let them live? _No. They would have killed me, and I can't die. Not yet. _Feeling better about her past actions, she began to think about her mother's killer's reasoning. _What he did was wrong._


	3. Chapter 3- Interruptions

"You listening?"

The Demon Vice Commander's irritated voice brought the girl back to reality.

"I'm sincerely sorry, sir, I spaced out for a moment." She lowered her head as much as she could, being restrained by the first unit captain. "Please excuse my rudeness."

San'nan-San spoke, his voice warm. "Raise your head."

Hitomi obeyed, her eyes once again focused on the captain. Though she _was_ embarrassed, her face showed none of it.

The commander cleared his throat. "I'll start again."

"I truly am sorry." She only momentarily bowed her head slightly before fixing her gaze once more to the man in front of her.

He spoke. "What did you see last night?"

Hijikata-San sternly added, "Tell the truth or you die."

Hitomi's face revealed slight discomfort. To everyone else, this came across as fear, however Hitomi knew that the her expression was not a result of the man's threat. She never intended to lie, anyway. No, the discomfort was from the burning sensation in her arms.

"I was already on my way to your headquarters when I encountered the rasetsu."

Just like the rest, the unit captain on Hitomi's far right seemed confused. 'You were coming _here_?" he asked.

"Yes. I didn't exactly intend to meet the Shinsengumi in this manner..." She gave a short, silent laugh before turning serious once again.

The unit captain who spoke next was seventh from the girl's left. He looked as though he was only 15 at the oldest. "_Why_ did you come here?"

Hitomi suddenly felt a wave of emotion. Helplessness. Loneliness... She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I had nowhere else to go..." Her eyes were misty. Okita rolled his eyes, still holding her in the same painful position.

Hitomi winced as searing pain split her arm once again. The commander saw this and ordered Okita to release her and sit. Her hands fell to the ground with a thump. Finally regaining feeling in her hands, she smiled slightly. "Thank you."

Okita's version of 'You're welcome' was, well, interesting. He threw his arms into the air. Rolling his eyes, he sat with the unit captains on Hitomi's far right. Once he sat down, he looked at the commander, annoyed. "Um, Kondou-San, can't she escape pretty damn easily now?"

Kondou-San opened his mouth, but Yamazaki was the one to speak. "I don't believe she will."

Okita looked into the girl's eyes, reading her thoughts. "You know, Yamazaki, I never thought this day would come, but I actually agree with you on something." Even as he spoke, his eyes didn't leave the girl's. Earlier when the two had made eye contact, Hitomi broke down. This time, however, his eyes weren't intimidating. They were merely searching- and liking what they saw. Suddenly a look of surprise ans slight embarrassment flashed across his face, and he looked away. Hitomi did a double-take; did Okita's cheeks really just turn the color she thought they did? When she looked at him, however, all that showed on his face was apathy.

Kondou-San cleared his throat. "So, why were you coming here?'

Despite the commander's best efforts, the conversation was interrupted once more.

The "Demon" Vice commander looked as though he had just remembered that headquarters were burning down. "Yamazaki! Head back to Masuya's! Furu- The owner will be wondering where you are. Shimada can't hold him off forever."

San'nan-San nodded. "Indeed. He will become suspicious if you are absent for too long. One does not usually spend so much time at the baths." Hitomi was suspicious. Yamazaki was most definitely _not_ at the baths. San'nan-san laughed before turning serious once again. "Return to your post."

"Very well, sir."

San'nan-san smiled slightly to himself. His fellow Vice Commander just glared at him. He obviously was mad that San'nan-San had just finished giving _his_ orders.

This time Kondou-san didn't even attempt to ask again. He just sat there, defeated.

Everyone seemed surprised when Saitou was the one to break the silence.

"I'll gaurd," he announced, standing up. He walked over to the door.

Hitomi decided to save the commander from repeating himself yet again. "I ran away from home."

Sorry for a short and uneventful chapter! I wanted to end it here since the next chapter is gonna be HUGE.


	4. Chapter 4- Pondering the Past

"_Why_ did you run away from home?" San'nan-San asked, his voice still warm.

"My father is abusive... My mother and stepmother are dead... My half sister's stepfather is missing. My home situation is a mess."

"What is your family name?" The commander was intrigued, though he wasn't sure why.

"Yoshida, sir, no relation to Yoshida Toshimaro, Leader of the Choushuu clan. You must know, however, that I am not a born Yoshida. You see, my mother, Yukimura Masa-"

Everyone in the room gasped. Eyes narrowed. Despite this, the girl continued.

"Yes, Yukimura. I know of your connection with Koudou."

At that, Okita stood up and grabbed her again. No one objected to his violence.

It was as though Hitomi hadn't even realized that her wrists were once again at her neck. "I'm the result of my mother, Yukimura Masuko, being raped by Kazama Myou." Hitomi was mentally overcome by her frightening past as she explained who she was and where she was from...

June 23, 1855, Hitomi's eighth birthday:

It was a beautiful summer day, sun in the sky, butterflies hovering over the flowers. Hitomi was frolicking in the meadow near her home. Her younger four-year-old half brother, Kaoru, was busy attempting to make a flower crown for his twin sister, Chizuru, who was watching him intently. Their father, Hitomi's stepdad, had made them many times before. His steady, nimble fingers weaved the stems and leaves of the Tsubaki flowers into anything in a beautiful and fluent movement. To little Kaoru's disappointment, however, that was a talent he had yet to master.

One would not be able to tell by her cheerful personality, but a dark shadow constantly lingered behind Hitomi. As a baby, she had already been exposed to the evil of the world. She and her mother had been beaten and held captive by her father for three years. They escaped, and Hitomi's mother married Yukimura Haruo. The happy new couple had twins together, but Hitomi was never treated as mere half-family. After all, she and her mother had been through so much. What would they do without each other?

Despite their happy new life, they could never remove the mental scars. To reassure her, Hitomi's mother would often tell her stories about brave samurai, the samurai who protected society from the darkness that threatened to engulf the people. Kaoru and specifically Chizuru disliked these stories. They disliked the violent ideals of kenjutsu. They disliked the strict rules of bushido. They were confused by the extreme simplicity of wabi-sabi. They disliked the complicated nature of the human soul. All the two saw in these stories was the darkness that threatened to emerge. It terrified them.

Hitomi, however, _loved_ the stories. They were what helped her remain cheerful and optimistic despite her traumatic past. She had already known of the shadows that lurked in the human soul, waiting patiently for weakness. She focused on the bravery of the men who fought it. She admired them. She found her own strength through them. She was fascinated by the personality of the katana, and was often caught unsheathining her mother's swords to admire their undying beauty. She immersed herself in the unique shine of the sleek steel blade. In fear of Hitomi hurting herself, her mother soon moved the swords to a shelf beyond the girl's reach. In return, she promised that once she turned ten, she would be taught kenjutsu.

At a very young age, Hitomi was smart and brave. She was very philosophical, and found a deep meaning in everything. She felt a connection with the Earth. She was telepathic, especially with animals, and it was as though she could completely control the environment. When she was emotional, the wind would pick up. At first this was thought of as a coincidence, until one day when a six year old Hitomi longed to hold her mother's kodachi once again. As she sat on the floor, staring longingly at the swords, they softly floated off of the shelf and into her hands. She simply had to concentrate, and then she could move things as though she were pulling puppet strings. She soon learned that she was special, even among fellow oni. She had powers like no one else, and she treasured them.

All in all, life was pleasant for young Yukimura Hitomi, until that fateful day. She was running around in her yard with her family when she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Her family continued playing, unaware of Hitomi's sudden fear until dark, threatening clouds appeared in the sky, indicating her worry. They blocked out the summer sun, and the air suddenly turned ice cold.

Her mother turned to face her. "Hitomi? What's wrong?" Her voice was calm, but little Hitomi could see the fear in her mother's eyes. Either she sensed danger as well, or it was merely a reaction to the intensity of her daughter's feelings.

Hitomi nearly looked as though she were possessed. She was no longer looking at her mother. In fact, her gaze wasn't exactly directed at anything in particular. She was searching through the mind of her fate. Her head tilted. "I- I d-don't know..."

Hitomi's eyes widened even further as her home erupted in flames.


	5. Chapter 5- Fighting in the Flames

Hitomi's stepfather gasped. Chizuru and Kaoru began to cry as they ran to their father. Hitomi didn't make a sound. She just sat there, eyes wide, pools of water ready to spill. Her only comfort her mother's hand on her shoulder.

Suddenly her the hand was gone.

"MASUKO!"

"_MOMMY, NO!_" Kaoru screamed as he watched his mother run towards the flames. Chizuru screamed louder, a sound that would forever remain in Hitomi's memory.

The five year old ran after her mother.

_"HITOMI!"_

Hitomi entered her burning home. The atmosphere was thick with heavy, black smoke. Immediately, she thought of her powers. She focused, and found that she was able to push away the smoke and breathe in clean air using only her mind. Her mother, however, had no such luxury. Hitomi knew that she would need to find her quickly.

When she entered her parents' bedroom, she saw her mother holding her katana, engaged in combat with a mysterious samurai. He wore all black, the same color as his ponytail. He turned slowly, an evil grin splitting his face as he looked into Hitomi's terrified eyes. He seemed to be as unaffected by the smoke as Hitomi. Her mother, however, wasn't doing as well. Her eyes were watering, stinging from the smoke. Outside the door, Hitomi could hear her mother's gasps for clean air. She choked. "Hitomi..."

She lost to a coughing fit and collapsed, dropping her sword. The strange man just laughed at her as she lay on the ground. He kicked her in the ribs, hard. Yukimura Masuko was no longer just choking on smoke. She had broken ribs and was coughing up blood.

Hitomi would protect her mother. Closing her eyes, she sent the raging flames towards the intruder. He pushed them back. Hitomi was dumbfounded. _Does this man have the same powers that I do? _ The man was no less shocked by Hitomi's power. Though he managed to block the flames, his confusion gave Hitomi the time she needed to carry her mother to safety. No human child could even_ lift_ their mother, much less control flames with their mind to burn an escape hole in the wall. Thankfully, Hitomi was no ordinary human. She was an oni, and a special and spirited oni at that.

She placed her now unconscious mother at her father's feet. Haruo was unable to stop Hitomi before she ran back inside. There was more she had to do. _I have to get them! _she thought.

"What are you _doing_, Hitomi?!" Realizing that there was nothing he could do for his stepdaughter, Haruo knelt to tend to his wife. Kaoru and Chizuru held hands as tears coursed down their faces.

Hitomi once again entered the burning room. The man was waiting, and his smirk had returned. His hands immediately grasped the girl's throat, and no matter how hard she focused, she couldn't get air into her lungs. _There must be something else... I can... can do... _Her head throbbed. _Ugh! I- I can't... can't think like this..._ She looked down at the hand that would take her life. _This hand... I can't die now. This hand... I wish it'd just let go!_

She focused on the fingers around her neck. One by one, they let go. Hitomi fell to the ground. Despite her burning lungs, she stood up immediately. She was still focused on her mission, and had no time to waste. She closed her eyes, and her mother's kodachi floated into her small hands. She knelt to pick up the matching katana to find the samurai's own sword at her throat. The girl threw the Yukimura katana outside to protect it from the flames as she drew the kodachi, as it was closer to her size.

The intruder's cold smile grew wider as an inexperienced Hitomi took to a fighting stance.


	6. Chapter 6- It's Cowardly to Die

Hey, cool person! I'm guessing you want to read the actual chapter, so I'll be quick about this. With the release of Hakuouki Kyoto Ranbu, I guess they actually decided _when_ the Yukimura clan was destroyed. June 1855. Since there wasn't an actual date out there when I started writing this, I originally had this happening in 1852, with Hitomi being five. With this new information, Hitomi is now eight as this is happening, and this is eight years into the past, rather than eleven. Sorry for the confusion!

Not knowing how to lunge, Hitomi waited for her opponent's attack. The man didn't move. He just grinned at the young girl. Hitomi found that it became continuously harder to breathe clean air as she shifted her main focus to the man's movements.

She gasped. "I'm... Y-Yukimura Hitomi, of... the- the Yukimura Clan. I require the name of my mother's attacker."

He smiled, his teeth slightly revealed. "Your confidence is foolish, young Yukimura. You possess no skill to match your pride."  
His voice was ice cold. His eyes were like daggers, pinning Hitomi's feet to the floor.  
"Nevertheless, I cannot deny you your final wish. I'm Yoshida. Yoshida Toshimaro, of Choushuu."

Just then the sound of cannons erupted outside.

Taking advantage of Hitomi's surprise, he lunged. She managed to block his blade, but her strength was no match for this man. She felt herself being pushed back, each second finding herself closer to the ring of flames surrounding her and Yoshida.

_I'm an oni. I can teleport,_ she thought. _I can escape... But that would be cowardly._ Now a mere ten inches was all that separated the back of her kimono from the flames. She knew that concentrating on clearing the flames would simply give the man the moment's distraction he needed to plunge his sword into her heart. _I'm going to die,_ she thought. _I'm going to die._ Her eyes flooded with tears. _Mom... Dad... Chizuru... Kaoru... what will happen to them? Will they die as well? They can't die! **I** can't die! I have to help them! _Three inches...

_Wait,_ she realized. _Isn't it more cowardly to fear damaging my pride and let my family die... than to escape and help them?_ Just as the flower patterned corner of her favorite silk kimono caught fire, she disappeared from thin air.

Arriving in her yard, Hitomi realized that she had been so focused on the intruder that she had forgotten about the army of men surrounding her house with cannons. Just then, something burning licked the back of her left leg. She had nearly forgotten that her kimono was still on fire! She quickly put it out, and her leg healed. She looked around her. Her family was nowhere to be found.

Hitomi was desperate. She looked at the soldiers with a crazed look in her eyes. Not all of these men were Choushuu.

_"Why are you doing this?!"_ she shrieked.  
She found that yelling felt powerful. It almost made up for the feeling of helplessness deep in her chest.  
"We're members of the same clan! What did we do to you?!"

The soldiers didn't cease their fire. Hitomi ducked and covered her head. She fell to the side and found herself lying in fetal position on the ground. Her tears turned the dirt underneath her face to mud. Any bravery she possessed during her encounter with Yoshida was long gone.

Suddenly she heard her mother's voice.

"Hitomi! Hitomi, can you hear me?"

_"Mom?!"_

Masuko gasped. "Hitomi, you're alive?!"

Another cannon went off, it's projectile landing a mere six feet from the eight year old. The impact threw Hitomi into the air. She hit the ground with a resounding crack a few yards away.

"Gah!"

"Hitomi! Are you all right?"

"Yes," she said as she felt the tingling sensation of the bones in her arms healing.

"Hitomi, honey, we're over here!"

"I can't see you!" The smoke from the firearms had filled the air.

"I can't see you, either. You've just got to follow my voice!"

Hitomi was panicking, causing a downpour. As heavy raindrops hit her face and shoulders, she realized that the sudden rain didn't make it any easier for her to see. She became more and more frustrated, intensifying the storm. Lightning struck, hitting a few of the men behind the cannons. In a state of near insanity, she giggled as the skin of three of her attackers was singed and they crumpled to the ground.

The distinctive sound of a gunshot erupted in Hitomi's ears, and the feeling of a marble sized lead ball passing through her upper chest brought the girl back to reality.

"Ungh!"

Her back shattered. The bullet had just barely missed her heart, which would have killed her. The ball had rebounded off of her sternum, becoming lodged in her aorta, slowing the flow of blood. It had also hit a few of the main veins responsible for taking blood to and from the brain. Hitomi fell to the ground.

Hitomi's mother gasped. She ran to her daughter, who was now screaming in agony as her body healed itself around the metal ball. It was still lodged in her chest. Normally an oni wouldn't be slowed down by a bullet. As her body attempted to heal itself, however, Hitomi found that the sensation of her veins and arteries fusing to the foreign object in her chest was a different type of pain altogether. Her vision began to blur.

"Hitomi," Masuko whispered. _"KOUDOU!"_

The sound of her mother screaming this stranger's name and the sight of Yoshida's dark figure emerging from her burning home were the last things Hitomi remembered before blacking out.


	7. Chapter 7- Brave Girls Can Still Cry

Hijikata's eyes narrowed after hearing this particular part of Hitomi's story. Seeing his suspicion, she clarified. "Koudou saved my life."

The vice commander waved his hand as if he were shooing away a possible change of topic. "Just.. continue."

"Yes, sir." She took a deep breath as she plunged herself once again into the depths of her memories that she would rather forget.

Young Hitomi awoke to see a kind looking bald man kneeling next to her.

"My, my, Hitomi!" he said. "You gave us quite a scare!"

Her mother and stepfather were also there, as well as Kaoru and Chizuru. They all looked extremely relieved.

_Where am I?_, she wondered. She was lying on a cold stone floor. The air was damp. The only light was from a single lantern next to her. She realized that the top half of her kimono had been parted, exposing her chest. She quickly covered it back up. She sat up, only to find that the back of her kimono was soaked with blood. She felt a small hole in the silk.

"Uh-um," she stammered. "what happened?"

Her mother walked over to her as the mysterious man began to clean what what was clearly her blood off of a small, oddly shaped knife. Masuko sat down next to her daughter.

"You were shot, honey. The bullet got stuck in your chest. Your cousin, Koudou, here, just removed it."

"My cousin?" Hitomi didn't have any cousins. Her father was an only child. Her mother's sister, Yoshida Mikatsu, was unable to have children.

"Well, your tenth cousin twice removed."

Hitomi raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Her mother laughed. "He's a relative, sweetie."

Koudou was packing up strange surgical instruments unlike Hitomi had seen before. He looked at the young girl with kind eyes. "Are you alright?" His voice was as warm as his caring smile.

"Oh! Yes!" She bowed. "Thank you very much for saving my life!"

He chuckled and put a hand on her head. "No problem. It's my job."

"Hitomi, honey," said her mother, "would you mind joining Chizuru and Kaoru? I need to talk to Koudou and Haruo alone. I realize you don't understand what's going on yourself, but can you please try to comfort them?"

Hitomi nodded. "Yes, ma'am." She did as she was told and sat in the corner with them, but she was nervous. Normally her mother told her everything, but this time she hadn't bothered to explain.

There wasn't much room for privacy in the tiny cellar they were in. Koudou, Masuko and Haruo stood in the opposite corner, whispering. Though they spoke as quietly as they could, Hitomi could make out some of what they were saying.

"...the humans..."

"...bloodthirsty..."

"...Choushuu..."

"...We're surrounded..."

"... heavily armed..."

"...grudge against our clan..."

Hitomi felt a poke on her shoulder. She jumped. Heart pounding, she turned around to see a worried looking Kaoru.

"U-um, I'm sorry, Hitomi," he said, surprised by his half sister's reaction. "What's wrong?'"

Hitomi forced a smile. "Nothing. Nothing, Kaoru. I guess I just spaced out." The truth was that Hitomi wasn't comforted by the thought of being surrounded by heavily armed, bloodthirsty, grudge-holding humans from Choushuu.

Hitomi felt Chizuru grab her hand. It was cold and sweaty. Or was that her own hand that was so clammy? Her younger sister's hand was trembling. Or was _she_ the shaky one?

Either way, her mother had asked her to keep these two calm, not eavesdrop on her private conversation. She turned once again to her siblings.

"Come here," she said, barely managing to keep her voice steady.

As she held them in her arms, her chest becoming wet from their silent tears, she found that she wouldn't be afraid as long as she had something to protect. So the three remained sitting that way. The cellar began to shake violently, rumbling as the cannons moved closer. Hitomi stroked Chizuru's hair as dust fell from the cieling. Hitomi used her powers to keep the air clean for her brother and sister. Kaoru clutched the silk of Hitomi's kimono as she rubbed his back.

Finally their mother walked over to them, her eyes misty. "Hitomi," she said, "I need to talk to you."

Koudou and Haruo joined the twins to keep them from overhearing their mother's conversation with Hitomi.

Sitting down in the opposite corner, Masuko took a deep breath.  
"I need you to be brave for me, Hitomi. Keep calm. Your self control is one of your greatest strengths. Your greatest is your heart... Oh, Hitomi!"

"What is it, mom?" Hitomi's mother was not one to be so emotional.

"We're under attack. Some humans from Choushuu wanted us to join their war. When we refused, well, they weren't too happy."

"We can fight them off, can't we?"

"I'm not sure we can. Hitomi, it isn't safe for us here anymore."  
She cupped her daughter's cheek in her hand. Hitomi's face was wet with tears, but she remained calm.  
"Hitomi, you and Chizuru and Kaoru can't live here anymore."  
A heavy flow of tears pushed on Hitomi's eyes, but she didn't say a word.  
"Kaoru will go to live with the Nagumo family from Tosa. Your stepfather knows them as very good and caring people. Chizuru will go to live in Edo with Koudou."  
"We're being split up? Where will _you_ go?" Hitomi whimpered, a steady strem of tears pouring from her eyes.  
"Hitomi," said her mother, stroking her daughter's hair and avoiding her question, "you'll be living with aunt and uncle Yoshida in Edo. You know them. You'll be in Edo, so you'll be able to see Chizuru!"

"But I won't be able to see Kaoru. Mom, where will you be?"

Masuko choked back tears. "I'll be with you, honey, in- in spirit." The tears pushed past their barrier, freely flowing down her face.

Hitomi found herself in her mother's arms. She couldn't cry. Perhaps it was because her mother told her to be brave, or maybe it was because she was in shock.

"I'll be brave for you, mom," she said. "I'll be brave forever."


End file.
